The A-to-Z of Yeovil's History

by Bob Osborn

vicarage
street hall

vicarage street
hall

Built by the
Corporation as a
Sunday School

In 1818 the
Portreeve and
Burgesses of the
Corporation
build a Sunday
School for
St John's church in
Vicarage Street,
later to become
the Vicarage
Street Hall. It
was designed by
a Mr Churchouse
and built by
William Thomas
at a cost of
£375. It was in
this hall that
the Town
Commissioners
held their first
meetings.

A campaign was
begun in 1839
for a Church of
England day
school for boys
and in 1843 the
Vicarage Street
Sunday School
building was
being used to
teach seventy
boys.
Unfortunately
the schoolmaster
threatened to
resign because
of the unhealthy
conditions which
eventually
resulted in the
building of the
first
National Day
School in
Huish. The
Sunday School
was moved to
Church Street in
1854.

In 1856, Vickery wrote "A Yeovil Mutual Improvement Institution has
existed in the
town since the
year 1847, when
it met at
Mr. Aldridge's
school-room,
Clarence-place,
and numbered 20
members. These
premises were
far from
adequate to
supply its
progressive
requirements. It
was then removed
to a room in
Vicarage-
street, formerly
the Church
Sunday Schools,
and now used as
a chapel by the
Brethren. It
afterwards
occupied the
room over Mr.
Watts's wine
vaults, Princes-
street."

It was acquired
by the Plymouth
Brethren and for
several years
was also run as
a British
(Nonconformist)
School. Vickery continued
"This place of
worship is
situate in
Vicarage-street,
and was
purchased for
£200, about the
year 1850, of
the Town
Commissioners.
It had formerly
been part of the
property of the
Portreeve and
Burgesses, by
whom it had been
built as a
Church Sunday
School for the
town. Mr.
William B. Dyer
usually
ministers at the
place. A Sunday
and a Day School
are attached to
the building."

map

A map based on
the 1886
Ordnance Survey
of Vicarage
Street showing
the Vicarage
Street Hall
marked as
'School' just
right of centre, just
below the 'C' of
Vicarage Street.

gallery

This
1960s photograph
shows the
Vicarage Street
Hall,
immediately
beyond which is
the entrance to
Quidham Place.

.... and moving
just a bit
further along
Vicarage Street,
this photograph
shows the
entrance to
Frederick Place.

Vicarage Street
Hall, probably
photographed in
the 1950s.

Courtesy of Carl
Hawker

A copy of the
death
certificate of
Robert Eli
Hiscott who died
21 May 1925 at
the Vicarage
Street Mission
Hall while
working as a
builder's
foreman in the
building. His
death was the
"result of
Injuries to the
Head caused by
falling from a
staging on which
he was working.
Accidental."

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